Surfing The Channel

The Liberty Hotel, a gorgeous Boston hotel , didn’t start out as a luxury hotel. This historical building was originally designed as a prison. It operated as a prison from 1851 until the early 1970’s over a century later when the prisoners revolted due to poor living conditions. Over the years, the jail has housed a number of famous inmates including James Michael Curley, Malcolm X , Sacco and Vanzetti, and World War II prisoners from the German submarine Unterseeboot 234. When President Woodrow Wilson visited Boston in 1919 there were suffragists imprisoned for protests.

The transformation of the site into a hotel began when the building was bought by the Massachusetts General Hospital. The Liberty Hotel is the result of historians and conservationists collaborating with a team of designers and architects to grantee that the end result is a historic building that combines and maintains a careful balance between preservation and its dynamic new use.

The Charles Street Jail’s granite exterior and expansive interiors remain largely unchanged from it’s original design. the core of the hotel is formed by the jail’s central atrium which was beautifully preserved and soars 90 feet above visitors surrounded by the cat walks and soaring windows the jail was known for. The jail cells are most visibly preserved within the hotel restaurant and through the wrought-iron work visible on the windows. The exercise yard has been cultivated into a beautifully landscaped, private courtyard that is expected to one day take its place among the Beacon Hill neighborhood’s beloved hidden gardens.

Given the task of infusing the hotel with a distinctive personality that honors the building’s rich history while providing visitors with a feel of contemporary vibrancy and comfort. You’ll discover they succeeded admirably just by glancing at their lobby. There is exposed brick of the original walls and an eye catching wrought iron chandelier above that add visual elements to the lobby express commitment to historic materials in an elegant and understated manner.

No related posts.